


Foxgloves for Insincerity

by clexylexy



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, CEO!Lena, F/F, Florist!Kara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28930227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clexylexy/pseuds/clexylexy
Summary: “How do I passive-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in flower?”(Based on a post I saw on Tumblr.)
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 53
Kudos: 826





	1. Part 1: The Florist

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for clicking! I hope that you enjoy! :-)

The staff of L Corp is extremely confused and frightened when Lena Luthor (being the tidal wave of frustration that she is) comes barreling out of her office with a flustered grunt and angry look in her eyes.

She storms out of the building without so much as a goodbye, walking briskly down the city block. Each person she approaches steps quickly out of her way when they see the look of pure anger that has settled in her green eyes. Her heels  _ click, click, click  _ down the sidewalk as she gets closer to her destination. 

She can’t remember the last time she felt this… this… aggravated. No…  _ furious _ . Her ignorant mother and criminal brother hadn’t even managed to piss her off this much. At least, not within the past many months. Lena has  _ never  _ trusted them. She trusted Jack, though…

_ How could he?  _ She thinks,  _ And on our anniversary, nonetheless!  _

She and Jack Spheer had been dating for two years after he came flouncing back into her life, begging for a second chance. They’d had a fling in college but never officially dated until he moved to National City with his company, bright-eyed and looking for success. Not even a few months after he arrived, he reached out to her wanting to reconnect. And she said yes.  _ Why  _ did she say yes? 

He called her precisely an hour ago with some  _ lovely  _ tale about his mother being sick and in the hospital back home. Lena, always entirely too trusting, told him that  _ of course  _ it was alright that he had to miss dinner tonight and  _ please  _ send her Lena’s love. She thought that would be the end, but then she decided to call up his mother’s cell to see if she would answer.

Sure enough, she picked up on the third ring: “Lena!” His mother had said cheerfully, “What a nice surprise! How are you, my dear?”

That was enough to clue her into lie number one. A plethora of options as to what he might  _ actually  _ be up to have been flowing through her mind ever since. But she decides that whatever it is, she doesn’t care. A liar’s a liar.

Her anger fumes; leave it to her to put too much faith in someone. She thought he had matured since college… guess she was wrong.  _ Men don’t change... _

She just hopes someone doesn’t recognize her and take a photo. She can see the headlines now:  _ Lex Luthor’s Sister Goes on Rampage Throughout National City! _

When she reaches her destination, the shop’s glowing neon sign and calming decor and aesthetics are almost enough to bring her down a notch.  _ Almost _ .

A bell rings above her head as she enters— _ Alura’s _ , an adorable little flower shop just a few city blocks from her company. The scent of lilacs and roses and jasmine and lavender (amongst other wonderful smells) hits her nose. Wooden trellis’ line the walls on either side with twinkling lights woven within. Pots of flowers hang from the ceiling, fixtures on the ground display marvelous bouquets, and shelves lining the wall further back house different pots, decor, and aids for gardening. Gentle music plays from a speaker by the main counter, where an adorable blonde woman stands putting together an arrangement of daisies. It takes Lena’s breath away.

She reminds herself why she’s here.

The unsuspecting woman behind the counter is distracted by her daisies, and doesn’t seem to notice Lena has entered. She’s moving in time with the music, trimming the stems off a few of the daisies in her hand. Lena approaches, pulling forty dollars out of her purse and slamming it down onto the counter beside her. It’s then that the woman startles, looking at her concerned.

“How do I passive-aggressively say  _ fuck you  _ in flower?”

The woman—Lena glances down at her nametag; Kara—blinks at her, blue eyes alarmed, “...W-What?”

“Sorry,” Lena adjusts her tone, taking a breath and clearing her throat. She straightens her back, holding her head higher, “I’m angry with someone. Is there something you can prepare that can show them that?”

“Uh…” Kara looks between the money and Lena, “I mean… sure?”

Lena watches as Kara sets the daisies in the vase carefully. She then moves it aside, disappears in the back for a few moments, and comes out with beautiful pink, five-petalled flowers with white around the edges. She begins trimming the stems. Lena’s eyes follow her motions. She handles them with such ease and care.

She must admit that this woman’s calm nature relaxes her significantly. She no longer feels the need to grab the nearest vase off the shelf and shatter it to let out her frustrations. Which is good. No,  _ great _ .

“What’s that?” Lena asks, stepping closer and leaning her arms against the counter.

“Geraniums,” Kara tells her, “Also known as—is this vase okay?” Lena nods when Kara pulls a simplistic one out from underneath the counter and sets it down, “—the flower of stupidity.”

Lena’s lips curve upwards, “You might just be my new favorite person.”

Kara looks up at her, blushes, then looks away. She ignores Lena’s comment, “Are you sure flowers are the right idea?  _ I  _ know what they mean, and  _ you  _ know what they mean, but the person you’re gifting these to might not know.”

“Oh, he definitely won’t,” Lena dismisses, “But I was thinking of leaving a  _ nice  _ little note hand-written in fancy calligraphy that says something along the lines of ‘fuck you’ or ‘congratulations: you’re an ass’.”

“Those are both solid options,” Kara smiles at her. Lena’s heart skips a beat.

“I’m Lena, by the way. Thank you for dealing with my strange request.”

“Kara,” She nods politely, “And believe it or not, it’s not the  _ strangest  _ request I’ve ever received.”

“Oh? If you don’t mind my asking, what was?”

“Someone asked me to send their boyfriend any dead roses I had available,” Kara chuckles, “She had me attach a note that just said ‘cheating bastard.’ Best day of my life… not so much for the boyfriend.”

“That is hilarious,” Lena laughs, “I can’t imagine calling your store and paying for dead roses.”

“But you  _ are  _ buying insults,” Kara points out, “So you’re not far off.”

“That’s fair.”

Kara smiles, fluffs up the flowers, and disappears once more. She returns with a collection of bell-shaped, budding purple flowers. Inside Lena can see purple spots surrounded by white. Kara begins cleaning them up to join the geraniums in the vase, “Foxgloves,” Kara tells her before she even has to ask, “For insincerity.”

“Perfect,” Lena mumbles, tapping her hands on the counter and admiring Kara’s profile as she works. For some odd reason, she doesn’t want their conversation to end, “So… how long have you been in business?”

“Four years,” Kara says, “My sister, Alex, helped me open it up. My mother… she was a florist.”

“Alura?”

“Yep.”

“Beautiful name.”

“She was a beautiful woman,” Kara says, a faraway look on her face. She ducks her head a bit, “She saw the good in everything, and loved bringing a little light into people’s lives. I think that’s why she went into this business.”

“That’s a very good reason,” Lena nods, “She sounds lovely.”

“She was.”

Kara vanishes again. This time, she comes out with a bundle of white, cotton-like flowers. They look like something out of a wild field, “Meadowsweet. Represents uselessness.”

“How do you know all of this?” Lena asks. Kara looks up at her, looking rather amused, “Surely it must be hard to keep track of?”

“I’m a florist,” Kara laughs breathily, “It’s kind of my job to know. How do you keep track of all the engineering you do for L Corp?”

Lena blinks in surprise. She hadn’t expected this woman to recognize her, “Right, I… guess I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“I was always an environmental science buff in high school and college,” Kara shrugs. Lena’s eyes sparkle at the mention of science, “I have a degree in environmental science, actually. So I basically lived and breathed this stuff. All my spare time was spent researching. Plus, when my mom was alive she used to have me help out around her store back home…” Kara takes a breath, pauses, then looks apologetically at Lena, “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“You didn’t… ask,” Kara mumbles.

“No, I find you incredibly interesting,” Lena says honestly. Once she realizes what she said, she stumbles a bit, “You.  _ It _ .  _ It’s  _ interesting… What kind of courses did you take?”

“Oh, you know. Biology. Chemistry. Geology… but I also took some more narrow courses. I took an aquatic studies class. Very interesting. I know a  _ lot  _ about different water plants that will be completely useless for my future.”

“Do you value it?”

“Huh?”

“Does having that knowledge make you happy?”

Kara thinks for a moment, then grins adorably, “Yes. It does.”

“Then it’s not useless.”

“No,” Kara pushes her glasses up on her nose, blushing, “I guess not.”

The next time she goes back, she comes out with— “Carnations. Specifically the yellow assortment says ‘you have disappointed me.’”

“Excellent. I love it so far,” Lena admires the bouquet, “Who would’ve thought such pettiness could be so stunning?” Kara says nothing, just continues working on the arrangement.

Over the course of the next few moments, Lena’s mind wanders. Kara had been distracting her from the reason she’s here. It’s comforting and  _ startling  _ that Kara had the ability to do such a thing, even though they just met. Lena feels… safe talking to Kara. Lighter.

“I know we don’t really know each other… but can I tell you something?” Lena says suddenly, making up her mind. 

“Sure.”

“My boyfriend and I were supposed to be together tonight, but he’s ditching me and lied about where he’s going to be,” She confesses, “You seem like a reasonable woman. Do you think I’m overreacting?”

“I need more detail,” Kara says seriously, stopping her work, “Is it a special occasion?”

“Our anniversary.”

“What was the lie?”

“He told me his mother is sick in the hospital. I called her; she’s not.”

“Do you know where he’s  _ really  _ going to be?”

“I haven’t confronted him, so no.”

“Has he lied to you before?”

Lena pauses and considers this. She purses her lips, “I… I don’t know.”

“I don’t think you’re overreacting, that’s for sure,” Kara consoles.

“What do you think I should do?” Lena has never been good at relationships. She  _ especially  _ sucks at controlling her anger. 

“Hm,” Kara thinks on it, weighing all of this information carefully, “I guess… it just depends. First, you need to find out what he’s trying to cover up. Some things are more heavy than others,” Lena nods, taking in Kara’s words, “Second, you need to figure out what’s best for you. Are you willing to risk him lying to you again? Are you even willing to put up with this one lie? Can you still trust him?”

_ Can I trust him?  _ It echoes in her mind. 

“But in my personal opinion? I would break up with him,” Kara shrugs, “He lied. There’s no avoiding that. And once you start lying, it can be hard to stop. I’m sure you’ve heard of the snowball effect?” Lena nods again, “Yeah. Trust me. Lies get easier the more you tell them.”

Lena is quiet after that.

The last flower Kara brings up is an orange lily. It’s a soft, sunset color. Kara tells her it’s the flower of hatred. Lena compliments it, “Quite striking. And full of loathing. It’s wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like it. Have you decided what you would like on the card?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Lena grins. She tells Kara what to write. It takes her a few minutes to get down, but Lena is one-hundred percent satisfied with the result. In the fanciest calligraphy Kara could manage, the card now says  _ fuck you, asshole _ . Kara gives her the change, and hands over the finalized bouquet with the card inside.

“Thank you very much, Kara,” Lena nods to her, “He’ll hate them.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Kara giggles, “Good luck. I hope you do what’s right for you. And if you need someone, you know where to find me.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

-

The next two days are busy for Kara Danvers. 

She’s not quite sure what caused the spark of interest that drew people to her shop, but she isn’t complaining. A little extra business would be good for her yearly sales, although she already does quite well. She was one of four flower shops in all of National City, and she’s the only one within a fifteen block radius of her apartment just a block away. It’s nice to be busy, though. Keeps her mind occupied.

Her thoughts keep shifting back to Lena Luthor, however. She wants to know how it went, even if it isn’t her place to butt into the life of a woman she barely knows. She enjoyed their talk when she was in the shop the other day, and it would be unfortunate to call it their last.

She just hopes everything goes okay, and that Lena makes the best decision for herself. She’s a brilliant woman, and it would be ridiculous for her to go down for something as stupid as a boy. 

Anyway… she tries to clear it from her mind.  _ None of my business, none of my business,  _ she repeats as a mantra.

_ None of my _ —

_ Ding! _

Kara looks up at the sound of the bell ringing at her door. In her hands is a lovely group of white roses for an order placed yesterday afternoon. She looks over them at the incoming customer.

He’s a tall, dark man with slicked back black hair and puppy dog eyes that would make most women swoon. He’s dressed in an expensive-looking grey suit that has clearly been well-tailored to fit his frame. His shined shoes click on the tile floor as he approaches, looking confident but simultaneously overwhelmed.

He slaps a hundred dollar bill onto the counter, “I need the nicest bouquet you can manage, please.” His accent is thick and British and he sounds very… distressed.

“Sure thing, sir. If you wouldn’t mind giving me a moment? I need to finish this order before it is picked up in half an hour,” Kara tells him. He nods, stepping back and tucking his hands into his pockets. Kara gets back to work, glancing up occasionally and looking at his nervous mannerisms. His eyes can’t stay on one thing for very long, and he’s bouncing on his feet uncontrollably. 

“How much longer?” He says after a few minutes, looking at Kara with wide eyes.

“Ten minutes max.”

“Okay. Okay, good. Because I fucked up,” He says bluntly, “I need to get this to my girlfriend as  _ quickly  _ as possible.”

“Okay, sir.”

“She’s so pissed,” He keeps going. Kara shifts uncomfortably, but doesn’t stop him, “I kind of lied to her, about where I was. And what I was doing…” He explains. Kara pauses in her movements momentarily.  _ Wait a second…  _ “I just got back. I haven’t been checking my phone… but I went to my hometown to see a few of my boys. I kind of ditched our anniversary for it… but it was the only time they would be available!”

Kara looks up at him. She doesn’t let her face change.  _ So this is him… huh…  _

“So she’s angry because I lied, and now I’m dreadfully worried she is going to break up with me,” He finishes, “So please, if you could make it the  _ best  _ bouquet you’ve ever pulled together, that would be amazing.”

“I can certainly try,” She tries to keep the venom out of her voice. The way he leans a little too close to the counter, and stares straight at her, unblinking… she feels very uncomfortable. He’s not being honest with her in his explanation, she can feel it. It’s as if he’s telling her so he can practice his explanation to Lena later. It sounds too on the spot, and it’s so  _ vague _ , and he keeps pulling at his tie… 

“Great.”

“What kind of flowers does she like?” She asks as she finalizes her current project, wrapping it up and putting the last name and pickup time on the outside before moving it to the cooling shelf, where it would stay fresh until the customer comes to get it.

“Uh… I don’t know. What kinds of things do girls usually get?” Kara almost scoffs.  _ If  _ I  _ was dating someone as beautiful as Lena Luthor, I would have this memorized.  _

_ What? _

Kara forces a smile, “You know what… I’ll just pull something together. But don’t worry, it will be gorgeous.”

Kara goes into the back, where her green space is. She begins looking around for things that Lena might like. White tulips and lilacs are the first two things that stick out to her. Pink roses and yellow carnations next. Then, to top it off, she adds some leatherleaf ferns as a stylistic choice. Lena’s boyfriend seems more than pleased. 

“Great, thanks,” He says, grabbing it without much care. He doesn’t even let Kara wrap it. He’s out the door faster than she can even blink. She just looks down at the hundred dollar bill, then up at the door.

She can’t help but feel that Lena Luthor deserves much, much better.

_ Why do I care? I talked with her for thirty minutes, maybe less. It’s not like I have a _ —

_ Oh, great…  _

-

The next day passes by too quickly for Kara. She does a fairly good job of keeping Lena Luthor from her mind. She just hopes that by the end of the week she forgets about her and her cute smile completely. It’s starting to become a problem.

Every time she puts something together, thoughts of ‘ _ would Lena like this?’  _ pop into her mind. It’s gross. She hates it. It feels dumb, to have a crush on a woman she met and spoke to once. She can’t even imagine someone meeting  _ her  _ once and forming a crush straightaway. She’s not the type of girl that sticks in someone’s mind like that. But Lena is.

_ Curse those stupid, pretty green eyes. And her accent. And dimples. And face. And manners. And wit. And smarts. And… everything. _

She decides she’s going to close early and go home when she runs out of things to do around the store, so that’s exactly what she does. She’s thinking of ordering potstickers and watching reruns of  _ Friends  _ until she starts to feel tired. She might even call Alex to see if she’s busy. Anything, really, to clear her mind.

As she’s locking the door to the shop, she hears footsteps approaching from behind. At first she thinks nothing of it, but then a familiar voice startles her, “It was a lovely bouquet. I could tell you put some extra heart into it.”

Kara finishes locking the door, then turns around and tucks her hands into her pockets. There stands Lena Luthor, wrapped up in a long coat with her hair drawn up, clearly just coming from work. She’s smiling at Kara warmly. Kara returns it.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“I’m sure Jack had nothing to do with the selections. If he had been left to his own devices he probably would have just selected roses and called it a day,” Lena laughs bitterly, “I didn’t realize you would be closing. I came by to see you. Would you rather I come back tomorrow?”

“No! No, you’re fine,” Kara stops her a little too quickly, “Want to go for a walk? I was going to pick up some potstickers on my way home…” 

“Potstickers, huh?” Lena looks bemused, “I can’t remember the last time I had them… mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.”

They walk in silence for a little bit. Kara finds it very odd. There had to be a reason Lena wanted to see her, right? Maybe she didn’t really like the flowers. Maybe she was going to scold her for selling to her boyfriend at all. Surely she didn’t come here just to tell her she liked the bouquet Kara pulled together?

“Can I ask you something?” Lena says finally, breaking the silence. Kara nods.  _ Here it comes…  _ “Did he say anything to you? Surely you figured out who he was. You don’t seem like the unobservant type.”

Lena came here for advice, Kara decides. She gets the feeling she’s the only one Lena has spoken to about this.  _ Maybe Lena has no one else…  _

She decides complete honesty is the best policy, “Yes, he did. But it seemed very forced. And it didn’t feel truthful. It just felt like he was testing the waters to see if his story was… believable.”

“I knew it,” Lena shakes her head in disappointment, “Did he tell you he ditched me for his friends, too?”

“Yes.”

Lena scoffs, “And you didn’t believe him?”

“No.”

“Good, so I’m not crazy,” She starts, “You were right about the snowball thing. I feel like the only thing that came out of his mouth when I saw him yesterday was lies. It was like he couldn’t help himself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry for dragging you into this. You hardly even know me, and this is highly inappropriate,” Lena seems to be scolding herself internally, “I’m sorry. This is  _ far  _ above your paygrade.”

“I’m not getting paid,” Kara jokes in a teasing manner, “And don’t be,” Kara smiles encouragingly, “Besides, I like talking to you. And I’m here to help.”

Kara can tell Lena is appreciative. She hesitates before asking, “... What would you do, if you were me?”

“Honestly?” Kara asks. Lena nods in approval, “I would end it.”

“Really?”

“He’s not trying to make the situation better for  _ both  _ of you,” Kara reasons, “He’s just trying to clear his name and get away with whatever he’s not telling you. Which, by the way, you still don’t even know what he was really up to.”

“That’s true…”

“Listen, Lena,” Kara stops them. She pulls her aside so they’re out of the way of other people walking down the sidewalk around them. Lena looks at her, eyes full of sad firmness. Kara considers her words carefully, “I don’t know your history with this guy, but he seems to only care for himself. And from what I’ve gathered, you deserve better.”

Lena laughs sourly, “Well. You’re the only person who thinks so.”

“How is that? Surely I’m not the only one who has seen this kind of treatment first-hand?”

“Everyone  _ else  _ thinks I’m lucky to be with Jack. They call him  _ one in a million _ ,” Lena raises a hand, mimicking quotes. She rolls her eyes.

“Some people are more willing to turn a blind eye,” Kara shrugs, “They see his money. His fancy suits. His ‘polite’ manners. And they automatically assume there shouldn’t be anything wrong. Unless you can prove it, he’s perfect.”

Lena sighs, lifting her gaze to the sky. Kara can see tears building up that Lena is fighting to hold in, “You’re right. He’s  _ so  _ good at manipulating people. And he’s incredibly charming, in a  _ far  _ different way than one might be used to.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re charming,” Lena starts to explain, “In a cute, thoughtful way.  _ He  _ is charming in a… ‘I’m rich, what else could you want?’ kind of way. He holds doors, and pulls out chairs, and buys flowers, but they never come from the heart like everything  _ you’ve  _ done for me has.”

“Oh,” Kara pushes her glasses up. She can feel her face heating.

“I’m going to end it tomorrow,” Lena says, sounding very sure of herself. She tucks her hands into her pockets and gestures for them to keep going. Kara joins her.

“Good.”

“Yes. Good.”

When they get to the restaurant, Kara holds the door open for Lena, “Get whatever you want. I’m paying.”

Lena refuses, “No, you’re not. I am.”

“Lena—”

“Kara,” Lena stops her, “I intruded on your night. I requested your advice and help.  _ I  _ am paying.”

Kara stutters, then caves in, “If you insist.”

“I do.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

They break into laughter, filling the quiet restaurant with their new friendship.

-

Lena ends things with Jack the next morning. 


	2. Part 2: The CEO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena's relationship deepens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate the nice comments left on the last part of this story :) I hope that you continue to enjoy!

_ A few days later… _

-

Lena is absolutely  _ going  _ to lose it.

Ever since breaking up with Jack it’s been non-stop texts, calls, and deliveries, all with the same message:  _ I’m sorry.  _ If she’d known that ending things with him was going to be  _ this  _ difficult, she would have never accepted when he originally asked all that time ago.

He’s driving her bonkers. She’s tried almost everything. She’s blocked his number, his email address, his  _ assistant’s  _ email address, his social media… but she still gets flowers and food, sometimes more than once a day. And occasionally, still, she gets calls from unfamiliar numbers with his voice in the voicemail, begging for forgiveness.

She’s fed up.

She’s in the middle of blocking  _ yet another  _ number when her assistant, Jess, pokes her head through the door to Lena’s office cautiously.

“Ms. Luthor? Something arrived from you.”

“I don’t want it. Whatever it is, send it back,” Lena practically growls. 

Jess looks prepared for this, “It isn’t from him, ma’am.”

Lena  _ almost  _ feels bad for snapping so quickly, but it’s overcome by the embarrassment she feels for assuming, “Oh. Well, in that case, bring it in.”

Jess pops out for a moment before returning with a bouquet filled with a lovely assortment of blue, yellow, orange, and white flowers, none of which Lena is familiar with but are all gorgeous nonetheless. She sets it down on Lena’s desk and heads out quietly. Lena thanks her before she closes the door.

She spins the vase around on her desk, inspecting everything closely. It’s then that she notices the card, tucked in the vase. She pulls it out and reads it.

_ I saw something about your breakup on the news. I just wanted to check in and make sure you’re okay. Here’s my number, I forgot to give it to you the other night. xx Kara (275) 577 5837 _

Lena smiles down at the note, setting it on her desk and leaning down to smell the flowers.  _ Cute. Kara Danvers is cute. _

-

“I think this might be the biggest building I’ve ever stepped foot in. Well. I guess now I’m stepping  _ out,  _ so. In and out?... I’m going to stop talking now.”

Lena laughs under her breath as she lets the door to L Corp close behind her. Her driver is already waiting, the car sitting idle on the front drive just outside the entrance. He gets out and holds the back door open for the two of them, smiling politely.

Lena had texted Kara the other night to (finally) ask if she wanted to grab drinks and get to know each other a little better. After everything Lena had unloaded onto Kara, she was rather amazed when Kara replied quickly and with no hesitation accepted her offer. She would have thought Kara would be totally done with her by now. But the woman is filled with surprises, it seems.

And so tonight, Kara popped by Lena’s office to meet Lena halfway. She was impressed, actually. Jack was late to almost  _ all  _ of their dates. Never early. Ever.

(She has to remind herself that this isn’t a  _ date. _ )

“I made sure to buy the biggest building I could find,” Lena replies as her driver closes the door behind them, “to make a statement to all of the men at my level of business.”

“I’m not entirely sure anyone could  _ ever  _ reach your level,” Kara says, and it sounds so sincere that Lena nearly sputters. 

“Thanks,” She mumbles back quietly, thankful for the darkness in the car that hides her blush.

The car pulls off, and Lena is rather thankful for the dim sound of the radio which fills the would-be silence. Lena opts to keep her gaze out the window, admiring the vacant city streets of National City. She’s always preferred this time of day, particularly because there’s rarely any press that tails her. 

They go to a dive bar suggested by Kara; Al’s Dive Bar. It’s in a side of town Lena rarely goes to, but it’s a place Kara frequents, and Lena wants to take a step into her world. On the outside, it doesn’t look like much of anything, but as soon as they step inside Lena sees the appeal.

It’s spacious but rather packed, so Lena takes that as a good sign to their service and their product. Kara finds them a place to sit and disappears for a solid five minutes to get them some drinks. Lena takes her time sitting down, shrugging off her coat, and taking her hair out of its updo to try and relax and look less… unapproachable and stern, as she  _ knows  _ she sometimes comes off in her business attire. A few people here and there give her looks, but most of them don’t seem to give a shit that she’s here.

There’s some kind of horrendous karaoke set up on the other side of the room, where a man in a snapback is currently drunkenly singing  _ Toxic  _ by Britney Spears. It’s enough to keep Lena occupied until Kara returns with their drinks.

“Tell me,” Lena says as Kara sits down in the booth across from her, “How does a florist come across a place like this?”

“ _ Oh, _ because I’m a florist I can’t have fun?” Kara raises a teasing brow, taking a sip of…  _ club soda?  _ Lena suddenly feels stupid for ordering brandy. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Lena says, wrapping her hand around her drink but making no move to  _ actually  _ drink it. She watches the carbonation fizz up the sides of Kara’s soda and her grip tightens, “I just mean it’s very out of your way. How did you find this place?”

“I’m just messing with you, Lena,” Kara chuckles, “My sister drags me out here once a week, sometimes more. This is, like, her  _ spot. _ ” Kara glances around fondly, “It kind of became mine, too.”

“You two must be close,” Lena smiles.

“She’s basically my only family. Her and Eliza, anyway,” Kara shrugs a shoulder with a sad, but loving smile on her face.

“Eliza?”

“My adoptive mother.”

“Your-- _ oh, _ ” Lena connects a few dots she didn’t realize she’d been waiting to pull together. She suddenly feels a lot closer to Kara--after all, it isn’t every day she meets someone who understands the feeling of losing their parents. “It appears we have more in common than I initially thought.”  Kara lifts her drink in acknowledgement and takes a sip. Lena feels obligated to do the same. As she sets the glass back down after doing so, she nods to Kara’s glass, “I, uh… wanted to ask. You didn’t get alcohol?”

“Oh, yeah. I don’t drink.”

“Why did you let me take you to a bar? We could have gone to… well, just to dinner, or something.”

“I like the atmosphere of bars. I find it hard to connect when a server is constantly popping in to check on you,” Kara shrugs, still smiling, “And besides, I always feel like there’s a… time constraint in restaurants.”

“Right, right…” Lena nods.

“Are you okay? You seem nervous,” Kara asks, sounding so patient and kind it makes Lena’s heart melt.

Lena takes a moment to consider this. She weighs her options--she could either be honest with Kara about all the thoughts that had been swimming in her head about their friendship, or she could make up some dumb lie. 

_ “But in my personal opinion? I would break up with him,” Kara shrugs, “He lied. There’s no avoiding that. And once you start lying, it can be hard to stop. I’m sure you’ve heard of the snowball effect?” Lena nods again, “Yeah. Trust me. Lies get easier the more you tell them.” _

Lena blinks away the memory of their conversation from not too long ago and gulps back a breath, “To tell you the truth, Kara, I don’t have a lot of friends. And I’m not too sure how this works, or  _ why  _ you even want to be mine after all the shit I unloaded onto you about my relationship.” It feels  _ so,  _ so good to say, despite the pit it begins to dig in Lena’s chest, as if she can feel Kara finally piecing together just how right Lena is and running off.

But Kara doesn’t run off.

“I mean, I understand. Most of my friends are flowers. You know I dressed up as Poison Ivy for three years in a row?” The corner of Lena’s mouth pops up and Kara chuckles, “It’s true! You could probably find all the posts on Instagram somewhere. Anyway, point being, I don’t have that much experience with friends either. I’m kind of just making this up as I go along.

“But I have a feeling about you, Lena, and my gut is  _ never  _ wrong. So, you’re kind of stuck with me unless you prove my gut wrong. Which, it never is,  _ as I said, _ ” Kara does a little  _ swoosh  _ with her glass as if to close her case, “Now, stop overthinking this and give me your honest opinion on the bouquet I sent. Was it too much?”

“ _ Now  _ who’s overthinking?”

-

Lena and Kara spend time together regularly after that. Whether it be Lena stopping by Kara’s shop, Kara coming to L Corp to have lunch, or both of them going for drinks and dinner at each other’s homes. Everything they do together feels very domestic, and Lena isn’t sure how she feels about it.

She likes spending time with Kara. She looks forward to it every day. Kara is exquisite. Kind. Lovely. She’s very thoughtful. She brings Lena flowers when she knows she’s having a rough day. She brings wine to her apartment, and they drink it while Lena spills her heart out. She gives Lena thoughtful, relevant advice. She texts her randomly throughout the day, whether it be to tell her something reminded her of Lena, or just to check up on how her day is going.

Lena  _ loves  _ spending time with Kara.

Lena tries to give back as much as she can. It takes a little time, but Kara eventually opens up to her. They talk about her friends, her relationship with her adoptive sister, and her mother. Lena wants to know everything about Kara that she can possibly know, while still being respectful. She treats Kara to dinner, and comes to help out at Kara’s shop when she knows she’s busy. She makes an effort to learn about flowers.

Kara seems to pick up L Corp activities fairly quickly. She even helps Lena with a few secret projects she’s been working on behind closed doors. They make breakthroughs together.

They  _ work  _ together.

It takes Lena three months to realize she is crushing  _ hard  _ on Kara Danvers.

-

Lena tucks her files away as her meeting concludes, dismissing everyone in the conference room and nodding to her assistant, Jess. They leave before everyone else, Lena checking her phone for emails as they walk. Jess fills her in on what the rest of her day will look like, and they begin the return to Lena’s office.

“Your mother left a message, she wants you to call her back when you have a chance. Then, you’re scheduled to have a conference call with a few of the shareholders. And you told me to remind you to have ‘file A’ stored away by the end of today, whatever that means,” Jess rattles off, Lena nodding as she keeps her attention on her phone, “Oh, and I got a message that Kara Danvers stopped by halfway through the meeting. Nate said she left because she didn’t want to disturb you if you were busy. He thought you would still want to know, though.”

“She was here?” Lena finally looks up from her phone, turning to Jess, “I wasn’t expecting her this afternoon. I hope she’s okay…” Lena looks back down at her phone, checking to see if there were any texts or calls she missed from Kara. She finds nothing. She must’ve been swinging by as a surprise.

“I’m sure she is, ma’am,” Jess says, Lena’s office coming into view. Lena dismisses Jess to her desk and quickly goes for the door, heading inside. 

The second she’s inside, she begins phrasing a text to Kara.

**Lena:** Hey, I heard you came by the offi

_ No, that sounds annoying _ , Lena thinks, erasing the text before she can even finish it. 

**Lena:** Why’d you leave?

_ Gross. Too clingy _ , Lena erases that one as well. She pauses long enough to gather her thoughts.  _ Jesus, Lena. This shouldn’t be that hard _ .

**Lena:** Everything alright?

Lena reads the message over. It’s straightforward. Simple. It gives Kara the clue that Lena knows she stopped by, while still remaining cool and collected about the whole thing.  _ Why am I reading so much into this? Just hit send, dammit! _

Finally, coming to the conclusion that she is thinking too hard about this, Lena lets herself hit send. She busies herself setting her materials from her meeting down onto her desk, beginning the process of organizing everything. She’s a few months deep in updating her personal calendar where needed when her phone buzzes with a response from Kara.

**Kara:** Yeah. Everything alright with you?

Lena reads it three times. Does Kara understand? Maybe she has no idea what implications Lena was trying to guide her to. Or maybe Lena imagined Jess saying Kara stopped by at all.

Lena slowly starts to spin in a circle in her chair as she contemplates her next text.

**Lena:** Of course. Just checking in.

Lena hits send, stopping in her spinning long enough to double text. She decides that maybe she should just ask Kara why she stopped by. That would be the clearest path, right?  _ Why do I have to make this so difficult?  _

**Lena:** Jess told me you came by looking for me. I was a little bummed you didn’t stick around… but I thought I should text and make sure you’re all good. 

The bubble indicating Kara is typing pops up a few seconds after Lena’s text has gone through. Part of her says she should close her phone and go back to work while she waits, but the other part of her is very entertained by the animation of the three dots moving along the text bubble.

Okay… it’s not entertaining. She just knows she won’t get any work done anyway. 

**Kara:** Oh, yes. I wanted to see if you wanted to get lunch. But I didn’t want to be a bother, so when the receptionist told me you were in a meeting and wouldn’t be out for awhile I thought I should just pretend I never showed up. I know you’re a busy woman, Lena.

Lena’s heart melts. She smiles down at her phone.

**Lena:** I always have time for you :)

**Lena:** What were you thinking for lunch?

**Kara:** :)

**Kara:** You sure?

**Lena:** Of course. 

Kara’s next text takes a second to come through. Lena distracts herself by looking through potential emojis to place next to Kara’s name in her contacts.

**Kara:** Why don’t I pick something up and bring it to your office?

**Lena:** Sounds good.

**Kara:** Do you care what I bring?

**Lena:** Surprise me :)

**Kara:** Can do :)

Lena thinks that’s an excellent place to leave off, so she finally closes the app and turns off her phone, resting it against her chest and leaning back in her chair. She turns to face the window, thinking on how glad she is that nothing seems to be wrong, like she originally fretted.  _ Kara just wants to see me. That’s all.  _

Lena Luthor doesn’t do stuff like this. Not even with Jack. She didn’t sit there and erase thirty different messages before sending the  _ perfect  _ one. She didn’t think  _ twice  _ about what she said to that prick. But with Kara? Everything holds a little more weight.

It scares Lena how much she cares. How scared she is to get hurt. To hurt Kara. Jack hurt  _ her _ . What’s stopping Kara from doing the same thing? What’s stopping Lena from making a mistake and screwing everything up?

Kara is the first person Lena has ever opened up to as much as she has. And now, of course, Lena is having conflicting feelings  _ about  _ Kara, and she  _ of course _ , cannot talk to her about it. But she knows she can’t do anything about what’s going on in her head until she can talk it over with someone. Maybe there’s a way she can bring it up without clueing Kara in to who or what she’s talking about? But then again, she risks hurting Kara if she discovers Lena is talking about her. Kara isn’t stupid, she would be able to read between the lines  _ so  _ quickly… 

Lena doesn’t realize how long she’s been sitting here in thought until there’s a knock at her door. Jess waits for Lena to call, “Come in!” before entering.

“Ms. Luthor?” Lena nods for Jess to continue, “You told me to remind you every hour about the shareholders. Just keeping you up to date.”

_ Has it been an hour? _

“Thank you, Jess. I appreciate it,” Lena smiles warmly, “You really do help me keep my head twisted on straight.” Lena picks up a pen and scribbles a note to herself about it onto a sticky note. She can’t let herself get  _ too  _ distracted by Kara Danvers, although she is a  _ very  _ sweet distraction.

“Of course, Ms. Luthor.”

Just as Jess is about to close the door, something dawns on Lena, “Jess?”

“Yes?”

“Can you come in for a minute? And close the door, please. I’d like to speak with you about something… private,” Lena thinks Jess would be the perfect person to talk to about this. Well… maybe not  _ perfect _ , but she certainly wouldn’t be able to tell anyone. 

“Is something wrong, ma’am?” Jess asks, stepping nervously into the room at Lena’s sudden shift. She closes the door behind her, moving to come stand by Lena’s desk.

“No, no. Nothing’s wrong. Sit.” Jess sits on command, waiting for Lena to continue, “I have a… hypothetical situation I could use some help with. Mind if I share it with you?”

“Go ahead,” Jess nods, relaxing a little.

“Say you have a friend,” Lena starts, “whom you’ve known for a little while. And… say you have feelings for this friend.”

“Okay,” Jess says to indicate to Lena she’s following.

Lena continues, “But, this friend is someone you value greatly and don’t want to risk losing. They make you feel whole, and happy. And safe. Do you tell them how you feel and risk losing what you’ve built? Or do you keep your feelings to yourself?”

“It depends,” Lena can see in Jess’ eyes that she has already pieced together that this isn’t hypothetical, “If I had feelings for a friend, I would feel trapped keeping it hidden. And if it destroyed our friendship, it wasn’t really worth it to be friends in the first place, was it?”

Lena contemplates this.

“So… what I’m saying…” Lena looks up, brows drawn together, “Do what feels right. If you like her, go for it,” The way Jess is looking at her, Lena can tell she knows Lena is referencing Kara. She isn’t surprised she figured it out, though.

“You think so?”

“I  _ know  _ so,” Jess emphasizes, “Besides, you’re going to drive yourself crazy keeping it hidden. And even if she doesn’t feel the same way, if she  _ really  _ loves you she won’t cut you out of her life. From what I’ve seen, she doesn’t seem like that type of person, anyway.”

“She isn’t,” Lena  _ knows  _ Kara would never do that. 

“She’s very kind. Remember last week when she brought you breakfast?” Lena nods, “I dunno if you know this, but she dropped off two dozen donuts at my desk and asked me to put it in the break room for everyone,” Lena knows she must look surprised, because Jess pauses and adds, “The fact that she didn’t tell you just proves how honest and good she is. Pardon me if this offends you, Ms. Luthor, but I think you’d be dumb not to go for it.”

“I’m not offended,” Lena’s laugh is breathy and genuine, “And you know what? I think I’d be pretty dumb, too.”

“Do you feel better?” Jess asks.

Lena smiles, “I think so. Thank you, Jess. You’ve been very helpful in my  _ hypothetical  _ scenario.”

“Anything for science,” Jess salutes jokingly, rising from her seat and heading for the door, “Let me know how it goes, if you feel like sharing.”

“I will.”

Jess heads out, leaving Lena alone with her thoughts once more. Under normal circumstances, Lena would hate to admit how calm Jess just made her feel. She’s not used to opening up to people. But she thinks… Kara Danvers has caused a shift in her. A good shift.

This is good. Kara is good for her.

Lena’s brain quiets down long enough for her to get a decent amount of work done as she waits for Kara to arrive with lunch. She doesn’t hyper-focus on what she should say to Kara, or overanalyze her feelings. No, her brain has had enough of that. When the time feels right, she’s just going to speak from the heart. That’s what Kara would do, right?

“Ms. Luthor?” Lena looks up when Jess pokes her head in sometime later. She murmurs low enough to make sure that only Lena can hear, “Your hypothetical situation is here. Would you like me to send her in?”

“Please,” Lena tucks the papers she had out back into their folder, rising to greet Kara Danvers as she comes in, smiling brightly at Lena. Lena loves that her presence could be the cause of something so wonderful and pure.

“Hi,” Kara greets. Lena vaguely registers Jess closing the door behind Kara once she has come fully into the room. Lena meets her halfway.

“Hey,” They embrace. It isn’t until they pull back that Lena realizes in one of Kara’s hands there is not just a bag of takeout, but also a gorgeous blue orchid.

Kara holds the flower up between them, grinning shyly, “This is for you.”

“It’s beautiful. What’s the occasion?” Lena accepts it, admiring it before giving it a nice home in the sunlight on the cabinet just beside her wall of windows behind her desk.

“It needs some love. I figured you’re the perfect person to give it just that,” Kara compliments. Lena feels honored. She goes to take a seat back in her chair as Kara sits across from her, in the same single-sofa Jess had occupied not too long ago.

“Thank you.”

“I was glad you texted,” Kara admits, “Although I have to admit, I was a little embarrassed. I feel like I should have texted you before showing up here unannounced. Sometimes I forget that not everyone can have as… loose a schedule as I do.”

“Like I said, I always have time for you, Kara Danvers.”

“That’s good to know,” Kara mumbles, ducking her head. She pushes her glasses up on her nose and peers up at Lena with a small smile. There’s a look in her eyes that Lena can’t quite pick apart. She dismisses it.

“So, what’s for lunch?”


	3. Part 3: The Dinner

After lunch, Kara left Lena’s office and returned to her shop for the rest of the day. The hours passed by quicker than she anticipated, with a few new orders getting called in at the last minute. It’s 8PM by the time Kara has a chance to get through her evening checklist, and it’s nearly 8:30PM when she gets to her  _ final  _ task: sweeping the floors.

As she does so, she thinks back to Lena, and how happy she’d looked when Kara gave her the orchid. Kara had felt rather silly carrying it up to Lena’s office; it wasn’t  _ nearly  _ as chic and nice as everything else in Lena’s building was. But Lena had smiled  _ so  _ big… 

Kara will admit, she’d had ulterior motives behind bringing the flower. There was a speech she had wanted to say along with it, but the words had completely escaped her. There was a question, which Kara constantly went back and forth about asking… 

But Lena’s barely been single. Who was Kara to think she could just… just… swoop in?

(At least, that’s the justification she’s giving herself for her cowardice…)

A knock on her shop’s door, which she recalls locking some time ago, startles her out of her thoughts. As she looks up, she sees Lena, standing there smiling with a bag of takeout.

Kara sets her broom aside long enough to go and unlock the door for Lena, smiling brightly and gesturing for her to come in, “Twice in one day,” Kara can’t stop herself from saying, “Lucky me.”

Lena laughs, ducks her head, and blushes. She comes to a stop by the front counter and sets the food down, “What can I say? I couldn’t resist.” 

“You brought me dinner?” Kara goes to stand beside Lena, peering into the bag. Lena begins unloading the contents onto the counter for them both to enjoy.

“Yeah, well…” Lena shrugs, watching Kara take her first few bites before reaching in to grab a portion for herself, “I was, uh… I thought it’d be best if I came and talked to you about this in person. Or… maybe that was just an excuse to come and check up on you? I don’t know…” 

“Yeah?” Kara’s heart skips in her chest. Perhaps the orchid  _ was  _ too much… Perhaps Kara’s crush is too strong and obvious and Lena is uncomfortable… That’s the  _ last  _ thing Kara wants her to be… 

Lena takes a moment to collect her thoughts before saying, “I was thinking about earlier. I can’t remember a time when you  _ didn’t  _ text the night before to ask about coming by the office during the day.”

_ Oh.  _ Kara immediately blurts, “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, Kara,” Lena laughs breathily, “I’m not mad. I just… you’re a planner. You  _ always  _ plan things. That’s one thing I’ve learned about you in the time since I met you. And it’s just…  _ very  _ out of character for you. So I guess what I’m wondering is… is there something wrong? The longer I sat and thought about it after you left, the more I picked up on how…  _ nervous  _ you seemed. How uncomfortable. And I just wanted to make sure everything is okay.”

Kara stares for a minute, pausing in her chewing as she processes.

“Because I’m your friend,” Lena adds quickly, “and I care about you.”

Kara gulps.

“Kara?”

_ Friend  _ echoes in Kara’s mind, “Yeah, sorry. You’re right. There…  _ is  _ something bothering me.” But  _ now  _ seems like a  _ very  _ inappropriate time… 

“Do you want to talk about it?”  _ I’ve wanted to tell you for weeks!  _ Kara’s brain wants to blurt, but she holds herself back. Her brows shift on her forehead the longer she looks in Lena’s green, caring eyes, so full of compassion and so understanding. “It’s okay if you don’t, I just wanted to let you know I see you, and I’m here for you. For anything you need.”

Kara smiles and ducks her head, “You’re too good to me.”

“You deserve the best.”

“I wish I could believe that,” Kara laughs a little as she says it, but she can feel the sadness in her eyes directed back at her through Lena, who has been watching her every movement so closely since entering her store.

She doesn’t say anything more about it after that, which Kara is extremely grateful for.  _ Not yet,  _ Kara thinks the longer they eat in the quiet of the shop,  _ I’m not sure either of us are ready for that, Lena. _

Once they’ve finished the food, Lena makes quick work to turn their attention onto something else, “How much more do you have to do around here?”

Kara gestures to the broom, “You’re looking at it.”

“Do you have a second one?”

Kara nods, disappearing in the back momentarily and returning with another broom. She hands it to Lena, who has just shrugged off her jacket and laid it over the counter temporarily. Before she lets Lena get to work, however, Kara gently grabs Lena’s forearm and looks into her eyes seriously, “I really appreciate you being here, Lena.”

“Always.”

-

The week passes. Kara spends the majority of it trying to think of ways to tell Lena how she feels. Lena notices her odd behavior, and she does  _ everything  _ in her power to make Kara feel comfortable. It only makes Kara want her more.

-

Kara is in the middle of re-assessing and finalizing her weekly supplies checklist to place her order when a large truck pulls up outside. At first, she dismisses it. Thinks it might be for the family-owned boutique next door. But then, a man in a jumper lugging a dolly approaches her door.

She races to meet him halfway, holding it open for him. Her brows draw together in confusion as she watches him bring it in, sliding the contents off the dolly and into the middle of the store. Kara recognizes the packaging immediately and looks down at her checklist.

“I don’t understand… I haven’t… placed the order yet,” She says slowly, watching him begin to push the dolly back to the truck to unload more.

He shrugs and offers her a clipboard, “You must’ve forgot, Ms. Danvers. You placed it last night.”

_ But… I couldn’t have. Lena came by as I was closing, and she took me home…  _

She looks over the clipboard as he returns to his truck to load more items onto the dolly. She flips a page to review the payment, and sees a familiar name and billing address staring up at her.

_ Lena Luthor. L Corp.  _ Kara tries not to stutter as she fills in the signature and looks back over her own clipboard. It’s  _ then  _ that she finds a sticky note pressed onto the last page of her checklist. It reads, “ _ Sorry, I saw this and couldn’t help myself. I know you’ve had a rough week, and thought this would help take a bit of the load off of you. Lena. _ ”

Kara’s eyes water. Nobody’s ever done  _ anything  _ like this for her before. 

The man finishes loading the items in. Kara spends a solid ten minutes looking over the contents, confirming that everything she needs is there. He leaves. And she begins unpacking everything.

She calls Lena as she does so.

As soon as Lena picks up, Kara says, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” Comes the innocent-sounding voice of Lena Luthor.

“You  _ know  _ what.”

“If I overstepped, I apologize,” Lena says sincerely, “I just care about you, Kara. Anything I can do to take a bit of stress off your shoulders is something I’d never hesitate to do.”

“You confuse the hell out of me, you know that?”

“Why’s that?”

Kara pauses for a moment, fiddling with the tape on one of the packages. She puts her phone between her shoulder and ear and leans over to get her box cutter off the counter. She takes a breath, “Are you busy for lunch?”

There’s a hint of teasing and…  _ flirtation  _ in Lena’s voice as she says, “I had plans to have lunch with the mayor, but I’d gladly cancel if you’re asking to see me, Ms. Danvers.”

Kara feels her heart rate increase at least three times its normal speed upon registering the flirtation. She fumbles with the box cutter, slicing her hand in the process of trying to regain her grip. She squeezes her eyes shut and does her best not to make any noise that indicates pain, and immediately deflects, “I’m  _ not  _ important enough for you to cancel on the  _ mayor. _ ”

“Kara?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t actually have lunch with the mayor until  _ next  _ week.”

“Oh.”

“I was teasing you.”

“Yes, I see that now.”

Lena laughs. Her laugh is beautiful, “What did you have in mind? For lunch, I mean.”

“Oh. Right,” Kara nods to herself, setting the box cutter aside and quickly making her way over to the sink to rinse away the blood and clean up the cut. The hot water stings. “Alex sent me a link to this vegan place a few blocks away. Her new girlfriend Kelly has got her on this vegan kick. I was going to try it out. She called it ‘the shit’ if I’m remembering correctly, so… I thought you might like it?”

“Sounds great.”

Kara thinks for a second, folding a bandaid over her cut and mumbling a quiet, “Um…” 

“So I’ll see you around 2? Is that a good time for you?”

“Um. Sure,” Kara pumps her finger twice to test it out. She’s satisfied when the bandaid stays in place.

“Kara?” She can hear the concern slipping into Lena’s tone. Kara finishes bandaging up her cut, hoping the concern isn’t because of the unintentional strain in her voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Small mishap involving a difficult box and a knife. But I’m okay,” Kara tries to cover up her nerves.

“Still have all your fingers?”

Kara jokingly counts, “...8, 9, 10. Yes. They’re all still here.”

“Okay, good. Not looking to make any hospital visits anytime soon, so,” Lena says. Kara can hear shuffling. Or typing. Something. She swears she hears Jess’s voice in the background.

“Okay,” Kara chuckles breathily. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you.”

-

Kara arrives a few minutes late due to her nearly spilling everything to get her ID card out at the door, but she makes it there nonetheless. She and Lena sit on Lena’s couch (a little closer than ‘friends’ usually do) to eat, and talk about their respective days. Kara tries yet again to pin Lena for buying her weekly stock for her, but all Lena does is shrug with a  _ ‘what are you gonna do?’  _ look on her face. 

(The vegan food is subpar, but Kara will never tell Alex that. She’d rather  _ not  _ get crucified.)

Kara is starting to clean up the various food containers when she realizes Lena is watching her. She’s taking a sip of her water and looking like she’s debating asking Kara a question. As Kara swipes the last of the food containers into the bag to be disposed of, she looks over at her with a lopsided smile, “What?”

“I really don’t want to say goodbye for the day. Can I see you later?” Lena asks, sounding a little shy. She speaks over her drink, hiding the lower half of her face behind the rim of her cup.

Kara’s cheeks flush, “Yeah! Yeah, sure.”

“Good,” Lena hums, “I’m cooking tonight. Come over at 8?” Kara nods. “Or earlier, if you’d like. I just want to see you.” 

Kara is trying her hardest to  _ not  _ look too much into the way Lena is eyeing her. She smiles at Lena, nearly missing the way Lena’s eyes very,  _ very  _ briefly flick down to her lips. Kara gulps.

_ Was that…?  _

Kara feels like a deer caught in headlights as she matches Lena’s gaze, and she’s about to open her mouth and say  _ something  _ to try and distract her heart, but it isn’t long before they’re interrupted by a knock at the door. Lena purses her lips, seeming to contemplate, then sighs, “Yes?”

Kara scoots back only slightly, to try and maintain a level of professionalism for whoever is about to come in. Mostly for Lena’s sake; she knows how difficult it can be to be a woman in her position. You have to work  _ three times harder  _ to be taken seriously. But… Lena doesn’t let her get far. Kara feels her scoot closer to fill the space Kara has created. Kara doesn’t fight it; if Lena is unaffected, so is she. 

“Ms. Luthor,” It’s Jess, “You have a meeting with Grant in HR in five minutes,” She sees Kara still there and clears her throat, “Un _ less  _ you would like me to reschedule?” 

Lena looks like she’s actually considering that. Kara sits quietly. But then Lena sighs again, “I can’t reschedule with Grant  _ three  _ times in a row, now can I?”

“...I guess not, Ms. Luthor.” 

Lena turns her head to Kara, pouting. Kara scrunches her nose cutely and leans in for a hug. Lena accepts, the warmth of her body doing nothing to slow down Kara’s pulse, which has been steadily increasing for the past ten minutes, it seems. “I’ll see you tonight, Lena.”

They say their goodbyes and Kara follows Jess out of Lena’s office. She hesitates for a moment, watching the door close. She catches Lena’s eye and waves slightly just before the crack in the door closes. Kara is sure she has the most ridiculous smile on her face.

“You should ask her out.”

Kara glances down with her brows drawn together. Jess is shuffling through a stack of paperwork, not even looking up at her. She seems to feel the baffled look on Kara’s face because she adds, “ _ Just  _ sayin’... I bet she’d say yes.”

“You think so?” Kara asks, sounding rather small.

Jess looks up at her for a moment, eyes squinted and lips pulled tight, like she’s trying  _ real  _ hard to hold something back. She shrugs, “She’ll say yes.”

-

_ She’ll say yes. She’ll say yes. She’ll say yes. _

It echoes in Kara’s head as she walks back to her shop. How does Jess know? Has Lena talked about it with her? Kara had been under the impression that Lena had never really opened up to someone quite the way she’s opening up to Kara now. She had been under the impression that Lena  _ rarely  _ put that level of trust in  _ anyone,  _ after everything she’s been through.

But maybe she’s wrong. Maybe there are things she’s been failing to notice.

Maybe this voice that’s been shouting  _ ‘she hasn’t been single for long, leave her alone before you make a step like that!’  _ is wrong. Maybe Lena has been wanting to ask her out already, but she’s been waiting for  _ Kara  _ to make the move. It would explain the upscale in flirty behavior recently. It would explain why Lena smiles when she makes Kara blush. It would explain why they can’t seem to sit with any space between them.

Kara considers all of this, and she knows what she has to do.

-

When Kara arrives for dinner, many ramblish thoughts hit her all at once the second Lena opens the door. She takes a second to admire Lena, who’d changed into a skin-tight red dress. Kara would be lying if she said she didn’t give Lena a once-over. She herself had dressed up a bit (admittedly so Lena would give  _ her  _ a once-over, which she achieves) in a skirt and blouse combo, matching the monochrome shades of Lena’s apartment. The next thing she notices is that  _ whatever  _ Lena is cooking… it smells  _ delicious. _

Kara has a fresh bouquet of red gerbera daisies, accented with gypsophila flowers (tiny white flowers with thin, wispy stems) and pink roses. It’s what Lena’s eyes settle on once they roam Kara’s body respectfully. Lena’s eyes widen, “Kara.”

“These are for you,” Kara smiles.

Lena takes them carefully, spinning the vase around in her hands, “These are beautiful. Thank you.”

“ _ Psh, _ ” Kara waves a hand as if to say  _ ‘it was nothing’ _ , closing Lena’s door behind her. She follows Lena further into her apartment, watching her set the vase down on her coffee table. Kara watches Lena smile down at them for an extra moment before she heads back into the kitchen. “It smells  _ great  _ in here.”

Lena looks at her pointedly as she resumes chopping vegetables, “Smart move, flattering the woman cooking you dinner.”

“Gotta keep you happy so you don’t poison me, or something…” Kara says. It sounded funnier in her head. Lena laughs anyway.

Kara joins Lena in the kitchen, taking up the role of an assistant. She doesn’t  _ need  _ to admit that she’s afraid to do anything too high-stakes seeing as she nearly burns her own kitchen down every time she tries to make something more extravagant than mac and cheese. Or leftovers in the microwave. Lena became well aware of that the one time Kara tried to make homemade pizza, and Lena walked in just as Kara was pulling out the fire extinguisher. 

“On my way home tonight I thought to myself ‘I should get Kara Danvers flowers.’  _ Then  _ I realized you’re a florist, so I bought pie for dessert instead. To switch things up. You like chocolate pecan, right?” Kara opens her mouth to answer, but Lena doesn’t even take a breath as she continues, “I’m not even sure I  _ know  _ what your favorite flowers are. Do you have a favorite flower?”

“Chocolate pecan is the best dessert in the  _ galaxy, _ ” Kara says, “And, um… my favorite flower… I’m not really sure I have one.”

“See, that’s what I  _ thought  _ you might say,” Lena continues, setting down her knife and scooping up the vegetables she’s finished chopping and placing them into a large pot on the stove. “But  _ you  _ got  _ me  _ flowers. I should have figured.”

“And  _ you  _ got  _ me  _ dessert. You know me pretty well, it seems.”

“I like to think I’m observant.”

Lena approaches Kara, leaning over her shoulder as she watches Kara scoop out the inside of the pepper she’s working on. Kara stiffens a bit, waiting for feedback. But instead, Lena just leans her head on Kara’s shoulder and continues watching quietly. It’s then that Kara realizes this is one of the last things Lena has to add.

“How was your day?” Kara finds herself asking as she continues on cutting the pepper.

Lena glances up, “It was a little boring, actually. I only had  _ six  _ meetings.”

“As opposed to your usual 15 or so?” Kara raises her brows.

“Right?” Lena shrugs, turning her attention back to the pot. Kara is careful not to repeat this morning’s situation with the box cutter. “Although, there was  _ one  _ thing that brightened my day. I got a call from this cute blonde girl I hang out with. You wouldn’t know her. She brought lunch…” 

“Mediocre vegan food, right?”

“How did you know?”

“I read minds,” Kara looks over, noting the teasing smirk on Lena’s face. She grins right back, but moments later registers  _ exactly  _ what Lena just said, “You think I’m cute?”

Lena opens her mouth, her cheeks flushing. She lets out a  _ pff,  _ “I mean, yeah. Obviously.” Kara smiles to herself, finishing off the last of the pepper and adding it to the pot beside Lena. She leans against the counter and crosses her arms, watching Lena stir. “Don’t look so smug, Kara.”

“I’m not  _ smug, _ ” Kara says, “Just… happy that you think that.”

“Hm,” Lena hums, still smiling.

The rest of the cooking is filled with talk of the cooking itself, with occasional banter and flirting. The meal itself turns out  _ really  _ good, and Kara is quick to praise Lena almost as soon as the food hits her taste buds. She’d barely swallowed before she was commenting on it. 

Kara tries her best  _ not  _ to focus on the nerves causing her heart to do that jumpy thing it does around Lena. She  _ knows  _ she has to tell Lena tonight, but… the fact that it’s making her nearly drop her fork or spill her wine is a  _ little  _ annoying. It’s once they move to the couch with their wine that Kara starts to  _ really  _ feel it. I mean, they’re sitting  _ right  _ in front of her flowers… 

“So,” Kara says, trying to push away some of her nerves, “You really know the mayor?”

“I donated a large sum of money to her campaign,” Lena shrugs, “We’ve been having regular lunches ever since. Mainly because I help fund a  _ lot  _ of programs that struggle to get brought forward because the city doesn’t have enough funds on its own. There’s usually some aspect of business that gets conducted when we meet. I wouldn’t call us ‘friends,’ but yes, I know her.”

“I can tell you’re proud,” Kara smiles softly, “It’s refreshing to see someone in your position using your power for such good.”

“What about you? Do you know how many people I’ve seen leave your store with a smile brighter than when they went in?” Lena nudges Kara’s shoulder gently. Kara leans into it a bit, wishing they were a  _ little  _ closer than they are. “ _ You  _ should be proud.”

“ _ Yeah, _ ” Kara says sheepishly, ducking her head. “I try my best.”

“I’m serious. I admire you, Kara Danvers. Your heart is… filled with an endless goodness I haven’t really seen in anyone I’ve ever met before.”

There’s a look in Lena’s eyes. It says  _ you’re a wonder,  _ and  _ I mean every word,  _ and  _ I care about you.  _ Kara tries to project the same energy back at Lena as best she can. She struggles to keep the girlish, cheesy grin off her face. How could she? Lena Luthor  _ admires  _ her. Lena Luthor sees an  _ endless goodness  _ in her. 

“Well, I… I think you’re pretty great, too.”

They stare at each other for a moment, both of their gazes completely unwavering. 

_ Now.  _ Now  _ is the right moment. _

Kara clears her throat and glances at the vase of flowers. She reaches over to set her glass of wine down and picks one of the gerbera daisies out of the vase, twirling it in her fingers and looking down at it fondly. Its red color glows in the dim lighting of Lena’s apartment, the moonlight from the window behind them reflecting off it nicely.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something, Lena. About these flowers.”

Lena sets her own glass aside, her eyes moving between the flower and Kara. She smiles, waiting patiently for Kara to continue.

“I’ve wanted to tell you. For a while. But I wasn’t sure if you were ready, so. I didn’t. But… I had a moment of…  _ clarity  _ today, and I realized I shouldn’t wait. Because this isn’t going to change.”

Lena looks confused. Kara realizes Lena still thinks she’s talking about flowers.

“ _ This  _ is a gerbera daisy,” Kara twirls it once more in her fingers, giving it a sniff and holding it a little closer to her heart, “They come in a variety of colors. They can represent cheerfulness, or innocence. But these  _ red  _ ones represent…  _ love.  _ Or, desire in a relationship. I gave them to  _ you  _ because… well, because I have that. A desire for a relationship. Beyond friendship.”

The longer Kara speaks, the wider Lena’s eyes get as they fill with realization. She leans closer with Kara’s every word.

“And earlier today, when I realized I shouldn’t wait… I thought, ‘what better way to tell her than with the thing that started it all?’ So I spent about an hour looking around my shop. For something that was both beautiful but also  _ worthy  _ of giving to you. Which, I mean, is admittedly  _ most  _ flowers because you’re wonderful and deserve lots of good things, but  _ definitely  _ not foxgloves, because you’re  _ not  _ insincere. You’re actually one of the most sincere people I’ve ever met--”

“Kara.”

Kara looks up then, directly into Lena’s eyes. The green in them feels magnified. They peer into Kara, filled with the same things Kara just described about the gerbera daisies. She takes the flower out of Kara’s hand gently and tucks it back into the bouquet. Then she scoots closer. And closer. So she’s practically in Kara’s lap. 

“...That might’ve been the  _ cutest,  _ most  _ sincere  _ way someone has ever asked me out before.”

“ _ To be fair,  _ not everyone has the background in flowers that  _ I  _ do.”

“This is true,” Lena leans a  _ little  _ closer, so their breaths mingle. Kara feels Lena’s lips brush against hers, and it’s all she can do not to press forward into them. “For the record…  _ I  _ have a desire for a relationship with you, too.” 

Kara feels her back being pressed into the sofa. She feels Lena’s hands on either side of her face, brushing hair back and smoothing their way over her cheeks, cupping them so gently. She feels Lena tilting her head back. She feels the warmth of Lena’s body pressed into her, seemingly from every angle. She feels Lena’s lips on hers, in a searing kiss that is both long-awaited and also surprising. Like Kara’s known the whole time this is what she wants, but she’s also amazed that it’s even a reality. It feels like that  _ something  _ that you yearn for your  _ whole life,  _ and spend  _ hours  _ daydreaming about… that  _ never  _ comes true… It feels like it  _ came true. _

Lena is very soft. Soft, but strong. Kara runs her hands up Lena’s sides, wrapping her arms around Lena and pulling her closer. Closer. So close that she’s sure they’ve merged. So close that she can feel their hearts beating in sync. She smiles into the kiss, nearly letting out a laugh of relief. A laugh of pure joy. Of hope. Of  _ love.  _

When Lena pulls back, Kara lets her eyes remain closed for a few moments, relishing in the moment. When she finally does open them, Lena is watching her with quiet admiration.

“I wanted to tell you, you know. How I felt,” Lena whispers, their faces mere centimeters apart. “But I was scared to screw up our friendship. You’re one of the… the  _ only  _ people I feel comfortable being vulnerable around.”

“I understand that,” Kara whispers back, “At the end of the day, our fears were fairly identical.”

“I’m glad you were a  _ little  _ braver than me,” Lena winks, leaning down to press another sweet kiss to Kara’s lips. She links her hands in the nape of Kara’s neck.

Lena holds Kara the way Kara holds her flowers: delicately, but firmly: carefully, but confidently; with love, and with appreciation. Kara has worked with flowers almost her entire life, but  _ never  _ has someone managed to make her feel like one.  _ Never  _ has someone seen her approaching and smiled the way Lena does, even without her many floral gifts.  _ Never  _ has someone looked at her the way they look at one of her arrangements.

But Lena does. Lena  _ always  _ has. Kara just hasn’t noticed it until now.

“ _ I’m  _ glad you came into my shop half a year ago,” Kara says.

“ _ I’m  _ glad you let me stay.”

_ Always. _

-

Kara gives Lena a red gerbera daisy for every special occasion (and then some) after that. To remind Lena that she  _ loves  _ her and even still, that she has the desire to be with her. For always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate you giving this story a chance :-) I really hoped that you enjoyed it! 
> 
> I notify whenever I post something new on my tumblr (@clexylexymain), so if you'd like to see more stuff like this follow me there to stay updated on the newest posts! And, on my tumblr, I'll take prompt suggestions in my inbox, so if you have anything in particular you're interested in seeing come to life, send me something there! And of course, you can subscribe to me on here, whatever works for you! 
> 
> See ya next time :-)


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